Yacht-racing toy



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

B. G. SOLOMON. YACHT RACING TOY.

Patented Oct. 6, 1896'.

WITNESSES: ,i 2 a a I 57% he 4;

,4 Tran/VHS,

we NORRIS PETERS co. PNOYO-UYNQ. wumumou. a c

NITED STATES {PATENT FFICE.

EMMET GAMALIEL SOLOMON, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

YACHT-RACING TOY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,808, dated October6, 1896. Application filed January 9, 1896. Serial No. 574,856. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMMET GAMALIEL SoLo- MON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State ofNebraska, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in MechanicalYacht-Racing Devices, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partthereof, in which similar letters of reference indicate correspondingparts.

This invention involves a mechanical device which is intended torepresent a yachtrace, and the object thereof is to provide a device ofthis class which is entirely mechanical and by means of which acomparative representation of a yacht-race may be produced, a furtherobject being to provide a device of this class in which the result ofthe race between the yachts cannot be foretold, and in which neither ofthe yaohts can be given advantage over the other; and with this andother objects in view the invention consists in the construction,combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification of whichthe accompanying drawings form a part, in which Figure 1 is a plan viewof my improved yacht-racing device with the upper cover which is appliedto a portion thereof removed;

Fig. 2, a section on the line 2 2; Fig. 3, a secvertical end boards aand the rear ortion of which, or that portionin which the operativemechanism is placed, is provided with a cover a Thecover a is not shownin Fig. 1, it being omitted so as to better show theoperative mechanism,which'l will now proceed to describe. H 7

The bottom board A is providedadjacent 'to each side with oblong slotsor ways 13,

at each side of which are formed flanges Z), as shown in Fig. 5, and theyachts employed may be of any desired form and are represented at D, andare provided with keels d, which are free to slide in the ways B, andeach yacht may also be provided with a mast d Mounted at one end of theboard is a shaft E, at each end of which is a sprocketwheel E each ofwhich is arranged in line with one of the ways 13, and mounted on eachof said sprocket-wheels is a drive-chain E and at the opposite end ofthe board A is a shaft F, on which are mounted similar sprocket-wheels Fover which said drive- .chains E are passed. Mounted adjacent to theright-hand side of the board A and near the end in which the shaft F islocated is a spring-drum G, the shaft g of which extends through one ofthe sides of the box or casing, which is composed of the bottom A, thesides a, and the end pieces a and mounted on the shaft g is a gear-wheelg which is adapted to operate in connection with a gear- Wheel 9 whichengages with and operates a gear-wheel g mounted on the shaft F. Outsideof the sprocket-wheels F on the shaft F are arranged spiral springs Fone end thereof being adapted to bear upon said sprocket-wheels and theother ends being provided with suitable bearings secured to said shaft,and said springs being adapted to force the sprocket-wheels F inwardly.These sprocket-wheels F are free to slide upon the shaft F, on whichthey are held in place by the springs F when the yachts are in motion,there being pins through the main shaft that said sprocket-wheels slipover.

Mounted on the shaft F inside of the sprocket-wheels F are beveledgear-wheels K, which operate in connection with corresponding beveledgear-wheels 70, mounted in line with said shaft outside thereof, and onthe shafts of which are mounted drive-wheels 76 over which passes adriving-belt which is provided on its outer surface with shoulders orlugs k, which are most clearly shown in Fig. 2, which are adapted tocome-in contact, when the device is in operation, with thesprocket-wheels F and to force them outwardlyand away from the pin orpins hereinbefore referred to, and thus to allow said wheels to turnfaster, thereby running one of the yachts ahead of the other for thetime be in g. I also provide brakes M, which are semicircular in form,and the open ends of which are directed outwardly and inclose the shaftF, said brakes being adapted to operate upon the sprocket-wheels F andsaid brakes are each provided with inwardly-directed arms m, providedwith inwardly-projecting rods m on which are spiral springs m, and theinner ends of the rods m are connected with chains or cords m, whichconnect with a verticallymovable head or bolt on, Figs. 2 and 3,arranged at right angles to the arms on of the brakes, and said head orbolt m is provided with a notch in the side thereof, in which operates ahorizontal bolt m, which is operated by a spring m mounted on the rod mthe outer end of which is pivotally connected with two similar levers Oand 0 which project in opposite directions and which are pivoted at Oand O and which are adapted to be operated. respectively, by the yachtsD, and when one of the boats reaches the end of the course it strikesagainst one of the levers, O or 0 as the case may be, which operates thespring-operated head or belt or, by means of which the brakes M areoperated, so as to stop both yachts at exactly the same time, and themain shaft and the rubber band M will keep on running after the yachtsstop.

hen it is desired to have a new race, all that is necessary is to pullboth yachts back to the starting-point, as there is nothing to preventit but the brakes M, and they will permit the backward movement of theboats to the starting-point, and when it is desired to start the raceall that is necessary is to push down the but-ton P, (shown in Fig. 3,)which operates a hell, (not shown,) and which is connected with the heador bolt on, and which removes the brakes M from contact with thesprocket-wheels F and at the same time sets the levers O and 0 as shownin Fig. 1. \Vhen the brakes M are removed from contact with thesprocket-wheels F the latter slip back on the shaft F, over the pinshereinbefore referred to, and the yachts move as hereinbefore described,and during the time that the yachts are being pulled back to thestarting-point the main shaft is running and it runs the rubber bandwith the rubber shoulders or projections 7 2 formed thereon, so thatwhen the yachts are once started there is no telling where the shouldersor projections k on the shaft 70 are, and therefore no one can tellwhich one is going to win the race, as the progress of the yachts willdepend entirely upon the operation of these shoulders or projections in"upon the sprocket-wheels F said sprocket-wheels being turned faster orstopped each time that one of them is struck by one of the shoulders orprojections 011 the band k The brake-springs m should be stronger thanthe sprocket-wheel springs F and the projections or shoulders 7r) on theband k are of various sizes, thereby giving various moves .to theyachts, or may be arranged in any dcsired order and any preferred numberthereof may be employed, and it is evident that changes in andmodifications of the construction herein described may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages,and I therefore reserve the right to make all such alterations thereinand modifications thereof as fairly come within the scope of theinvention.

Having fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The herein-described mechanical yacht.- racingdevice, which comprises a bottom board or plate, longitudinal ways inwhich two yachts are adapted to travel, a shaft mounted transversely ateach end of the bottom board or plate, and sprocket-wheels mountedthereon, provided with endless belts which are connected with saidyachts, and means for revolving one of said shafts and for moving saidyachts, one of said shafts being connected by means of suitable gearingwith a spring drum, and the sprocket wheels mounted on said shaft beingloosely connected therewith, and said shaft being also provided withbeveled gear-wheels which operate in connection with correspondingbeveled gearovheels mounted at right angles to said shaft on which aremounted a belt provided with shoulders or projections which are adaptedto operate in connection with said sprocket-wheels, substantially asshown and described.

2. The herein-described mechanical yachtracing device, which comprises abottom board or plate, longitudinal ways in which two yachts are adaptedto travel, a shaft mounted transversely at each end of the bottom boardor plate, and sprocket-wheels mounted thereon, provided with endlessbelts which are connected with said yachts, and means for revolving oneof said shafts and for moving said yachts, one of said shafts beingconnected by means of suitable gearing with a spring-drum, and thesprocketwheels mounted 011 said shaft being loosely connected therewith,and said shaft being also provided with beveled gear-wheels whichoperate in connection with corresponding beveled gear-wheels mounted atright angles to said shaft on which are mounted a belt provided withshoulders or projections which are adapted to operate in connection withsaid sprocket-wheels, and brakes suitably mounted adjacent to each ofsaid sprocketwh'eels, and provided with operating device connected withlevers which are adapted to be operated by the yachts, substantially asshown and described.

8. The herein-described mechanical yachtracing device, which. comprisesa bottom board or plate, longitudinal ways in which two yachts areadapted to travel, a shaft mounted transversely at each end of the botomboard or plate, and sprocket-wheels which are connected with saidyachts, and means for revolving one of said shafts and for moving saidyachts, one of said shafts being connected by means of suitable gearingwith a spring-drum, and the sprocketwheels mounted on said shaft beingloosely connected therewith and said shaft being also provided withbeveled gear-Wheels which operate in connection with correspondingbeveled gear-Wheels mounted at right angles to said shaft on which aremounted a belt provided with shoulders or projections which are adaptedto operate in connection with said sprocket-wheels, and brakes suit-ablymounted adjacent to each of said sprocketwheels, and provided withoperating devices connected with levers which are adapted to be operatedby the yachts, and a push-button in operative connection with saidbrakes, and by means of which the yachts may be put in motion,substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 19th day ofDecember, 1895.

-EMMET GAMALIEL SOLOMON.

W'itnesses:

RoLLIN E. HARRIS, GEORGE A. OSTROM.

